Differently-abled Girls Bring Talent to Sewing

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Duong Thi Sau, a sewing shop owner in Vietnam, hired one mobility-impaired and two hearing-impaired students to work in her sewing shop. Her customers became apprehensive that the quality of her clothes would go down. Sau, was herself concerned as to how she would communicate with the hearing-impaired girls. Added to this, she had no prior knowledge of any sign language. Enter the USAID-funded program, an organization that encourages the inclusion of Vietnamese with disabilities into the society. USAID helped Sau dispel her concerns.

Sau soon found out modes of communication with her pupils. Soon she showed them how to measure, cut and sew clothes to precision. Huong, one of the hearing-impaired students learned quickly and has now started to sew on par with her educator. Huong is learning to make “ao dai”, the conventional dress of Vietnam. Binh, the mobility-impaired student, has learned so much that she is now considering opening her own shop.

Sau had the following to say, “I now understand how important it is to include people with disabilities. I was worried that my business would suffer, but my customers are happy and I feel good helping the girls.”

It is really a pride for the sewing community that sewing could help these differently-abled persons to prove their abilities. Not only this, it also provided them means to sustain a life with a sense of self-worth making  them valued members of their families and communities.